Maine: Cow that escaped trailer bound for the slaughterhouse is turned into Swiss cheese by trigger-happy cops

MAINE -- Police in Maine shot and killed a slaughterhouse-bound cow that escaped from a trailer and ran into traffic.

Police say they were called around 10 a.m. on Monday when a cow being transported from Harvest Hill Farms in Mechanic Falls kicked open its trailer door and made a run for it in Auburn, Maine.

 

The Sun Journal reports the cow ended up at a gas and welding supply company. Police say it was difficult to find a safe place to put the cow down because of flammable gases on the site.

Police say it eventually took about 10 to 15 rounds to "put the cow down".

You incompetent fools. 

Truck driver John Ethridge said the cow had been bound for the slaughterhouse because of a medical issue that prevented her from breeding. Earlier reports that she had an issue making her mean weren't correct, he said.

"The reason why she acted like she did, I'm sure, is because she jumped out of the back of a moving trailer," Ethridge said. "She turned mean when there was 30 guys trying to corral her, all those tanks. She was out of her element, totally, and it just made her real crazy. But she was perfectly healthy and I would have perfectly ate her."

He also disputed an earlier police report that the cow trampled two people. He said he was pushed by the cow, but was fine. Another man, a Maine Oxy contractor who declined to give his name, said he was stepped on while trying to help corral it.

Neither required medical attention.

Do these morons look scare? Eight idiots standing around and the
cow isn't on a rampage, isn't trampling anyone. It's simply standing
there, confused about what's happening. Auburn ME cops are MORONS!

"It took us a little while to set up a safe shooting solution because of Maine Oxy and the flammable gases they have there, but once we got that established, it took about 10 to 15 rounds to put the cow down because it was so adrenalined and crazy."

Umm, do you really think it's smart to be shooting firearms around flammable gas tanks? And if it took them "a little while to set up a safe shooting solution" -- YOU HAD TIME TO CALL A VET TO COME AND TRANQUILIZE THE COW, YOU IDIOTS!!!

Five to six police officers responded at 10:00 a.m. The cow was dead by 10:45 a.m.

(WDTN - June 21, 2016)

California: Gabriel Cevallos, 24, charged with animal cruelty for torturing birds at Foster Farms slaughterhouse

CALIFORNIA -- The Fresno County District Attorney's office has filed animal cruelty charges, against a former employee of Foster Farms.

According to a statement, Gabriel Cevallos, 24, was charged with a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty, in connection to allegations that he physically mistreated several chickens at a Foster Farms processing plant, in March of 2015.

The allegations reportedly came to light, when a video recording of the incident was made public.

According to officials, Cevallos is facing a year in jail, as well as a five-year animal ownership or possession ban, if convicted.

(Your Central Valley - March 4, 2016)

Georgia: Phong Thanh Tran, 43, gets stiff sentence for animal cruelty

GEORGIA -- A Commerce man was sentenced to 10 days in jail and 12 months of mandatory probation after he pled not guilty to violating the city of Danielsville’s animal cruelty ordinance in city court Jan. 18 for transporting a live cow strapped “spread eagle” on the back of a flatbed trailer in late November.

Phong Thanh Tran, 43, was also sentenced by city court judge Robert Sneed to pay a $1,000 fine and to perform 100 hours of community service at the Madison-Oglethorpe Animal Shelter.

Judge Sneed ordered Tran to be taken into custody immediately following his trial Jan. 18.

Danielsville police officer Cleve Williams and police chief Brenan Baird presented the evidence of the events of Nov. 27 and showed Judge Sneed pictures taken of the animal and his position on the trailer.

Williams responded to Hwy. 98 around 5:30 p.m. that day after hearing that someone called E-911 dispatch to report a live cow strapped down to a flat bed trailer being pulled by a Kia Sorrento SUV.

Williams spotted the SUV and trailer traveling east toward Comer as it came through town and said the animal turned its head as the trailer passed by his patrol car. He told the judge the cow grunted and attempted to turn its head from side to side after he made the traffic stop.

Williams noted in his report at the time that the cow was strapped down on its stomach and tied at each hoof and appeared to be wounded on both legs, with one leg appearing to be punctured and injured. A fifth strap was placed over the cow’s neck and tightened down so that the animal’s head was pinned to the front railing of the trailer.

Tran told officer Williams he was headed to a processing plant in Nicholson, but an official at the plant in question told Williams that Tran did not have an appointment there that evening, which he would need to have it processed.

Police chief Baird said the cow’s bones were broken as a result of the tie down and that officials at a local meat processing plant where the animal was taken to be killed immediately following Trans’ arrest said it was damaged too badly to be processed.

In his defense, Tran testified with his son’s help that it was the first time he had received a “large animal” from a friend and he was not aware the law did not allow him to transport a live animal in this manner. He said he was of the mindset to just get the cow strapped down in such a way that it would not fall off.

“Well, it certainly wasn’t going to fall off,” judge Sneed said as he viewed the photos.

The man who gave Tran the cow, Dennis Sikes, was on hand to testify in Trans’ defense. Sikes told the judge that he had given Tran the cow because it had been paralyzed for “a couple of weeks” and he had continued to feed it thinking it might have a damaged nerve. When the cow failed to recover, he said he gave it to Tran to have it processed, or to process himself, so the meat would not go to waste.

When questioned by Judge Sneed, Sikes admitted that he was aware and had in fact watched Tran strap the animal down onto the trailer for transport. He said he would not have transported the animal in this way himself, as he had an enclosed trailer. He said he believed it was going directly from his farm to be killed and that it was paralyzed anyway so he didn’t think the animal felt anything “on the back end.” He explained to the judge that for the meat to be processed properly, the animal needed to be bled at the time of processing, which was why it was transported alive.

“Were you there when he tied this cow down and you let him do that?” Judge Sneed asked.

“Yes,” Sikes said, reiterating that the cow was paralyzed already.

He said his thought process was that they were saving the meat.

“You can say it was cruel, but the cow was already not feeling pain in the back end,” Sikes told the judge.

“What I am getting from you is you would not have done it this way but you let him do it,” the judge said.

Sikes agreed.

Another friend of Trans said he helped with the transport and said neither he nor Tran were aware it was against the law.

At that point, Judge Sneed shook his head, saying the real issue was about how to humanely treat an animal, more than the fact that a law was broken.

“And I am sure it was feeling pain, there is no way that it couldn’t,” the judge said.

Sneed then pronounced Tran guilty of animal cruelty and told him that his sentence was to pay a $1,000 fine, serve 12 months of mandatory probation and serve 100 hours of community service at the animal shelter.

He asked Tran if he understood he had committed a crime and he replied that he did understand that.

Sneed said that was good, because he also had 10 days to serve in the county jail and he was to be transported there immediately.

He further told Tran he needed to gain an understanding of animal cruelty and if this happened again he needed to know that “this is absolutely sick.”

The judge told Sikes that he needed to get “up to speed” as well on the way he would allow an animal of his to be treated.

“You don’t want any animal treated this way,” Sneed told him.

Tran was explained the conditions of his parole and sentence by court personnel, then handcuffed by officer Williams and taken to the Madison County Jail.

(Madison Journal Today - Jan 25, 2016)

Earlier:

• Georgia: Phong Thanh Tran, 43, arrested after breaking cows bones to flatten him on a flatbed trailer to be hauled to slaughter

Georgia: Phong Thanh Tran, 43, arrested after breaking cows bones to flatten him on a flatbed trailer to be hauled to slaughter

GEORGIA -- A Commerce man was arrested by the Danielsville police for violating the city’s animal care ordinance last week after a caller called 9-1-1 to report someone hauling a live cow “racheted down” and strapped tightly to a flat bed trailer.

Phon Tran, 43, was arrested and charged with a violation of animal care ordinance.

Danielsville police officer Cleve Williams spotted the white Kia Sorento heading east on Hwy. 98, towing the trailer and live cow and pulled it over just before dark.

Tran told Williams a friend gave him the cow because it had a broken leg and he was heading to get it processed for meat at a processing plant in Nicholson. Tran called the meat processor at the officer’s request and the representative there told Williams that Tran did not have an appointment to process a cow and would need would to have such a large animal processed.

Williams noted that the cow was strapped down at each hoof on its stomach and appeared to be wounded on both legs, with one leg appearing to be punctured and injured. A fifth strap was placed over the cow’s neck and tightened down that the animal’s head was pinned to the front railing of the trailer.

“Given the manner of the cow’s confinement and its treatment, I arrested Mr. Tran for violations of the Danielsville Animal Care ordinance,” Williams noted in his report. The cow was taken to a nearby animal processing plant and killed there and the body was released to Tran’s wife for disposal.

Tran was taken to the Madison County Jail.

Police chief Brenan Baird said the processor told police the suspect’s actions had “broken every bone in its pelvis” as a result of the tie down and was damaged too badly to even be processed for meat. 

“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Baird said, calling the incident “bizarre."

(Madison Journal Today - Dec 7, 2015)

Florida: Loxahatchee illegal slaughterhouse / animal cruelty bust largest in U.S. history

Slaughterhouse owners, employees accused of torturing animals, selling meat on black market

FLORIDA -- Authorities in Palm Beach County raided three illegal slaughterhouses Tuesday morning in Loxahatchee with the help of officials with the Animal Recovery Mission.

The operation resulted in the arrests of the slaughterhouse owners and employees.

 

Authorities said the owners were involved in the underground and illegal slaughter of horses and illegal sale of their meat for human consumption.

Tuesday's raid was the largest tactical strike on extreme animal cruelty operations in U.S. history.

One of the owners was identified as Jorge Garcia, who runs Rancho Garcia, 15703 Orange Blvd. Authorities said Garcia's customers have been traveling to Loxahatchee from the Miami area for decades and said Garcia purchases his horses from animal auctions and Craigslist.

Garcia is also accused of selling the animals for black magic and sacrificial purposes.

Authorities said undercover ARM investigators witnessed and captured footage of Garcia and his employees "selling large amounts of horse meat, violently stabbing pigs in the heart and boiling them alive, slitting throats of goats and rams before hoisting them by their hind legs then skinning them alive, and brutally stomping on ducks, slitting their throats and drowning them in their own blood."

Garcia also used a section of his farm to run a puppy mill, where he breeds and sells dogs, authorities said.

G.A. Paso Fino, 14873 Collecting Canal Road was also raided and shut down Tuesday.

Authorities said the property is used for the training, breeding and selling of horses for slaughter, and is owned by Orlando Guzman.

Guzman rents part of the land in the back of the property to Edgar Sr. Bica and Edgar Jr. Bica, who are also accused of running an illegal slaughterhouse.

ARM investigators said the men supplied horse meat on the black market in the Loxahatchee and greater Wellington areas for decades, and tortured and slaughtered chickens, pigs and goats.

Investigators said the men killed the animals the same way as Garcia and said they would also throw live armadillos into boiling water.

Investigators said a puppy mill was being operated on the site, and the dogs were contained in small cages "riddled with excrement and rust and no water available."

Cock fighting roosters were also discovered on the property.

The final slaughterhouse raided Tuesday was Medina Farm, 2151 C. Road.

Authorities said the farm is legally incorporated, but claim the owner Jay and his employee, Jose, have been illegally slaughtering and torturing animals on their farm for decades.

"ARM investigators have witnessed and documented extreme acts of animal cruelty such as, slitting goat's necks while they are restrained on their backs, forced to suffocate in their own blood, as well as slitting and severing the throats of cows with extremely dull blades before hoisting them by their hind legs and skinning them alive, often dragging out their death for over 20 minutes," authorities said.

Medina Farm's customers largely consisted of Muslims, "who bought animals to be slaughtered for human consumption and ritualistic sacrifice," authorities said.

(Local 10 - Oct 13, 2015)

Rows of pet dogs hanging on hooks and cats skinned ready for the dinner table: Inside China's gruesome annual 'meat festival' that was supposed to have been banned

CHINA -- Thousands of stolen pets are being slaughtered for a Chinese 'dog meat festival' which local authorities said was shut down last year, MailOnline has learned.

The local government in Yulin, central China, said they banned the decades-old local tradition after two million furious campaigners in China called for an end to the bloody practice.

But an undercover investigation has found as many as 10,000 helpless animals - many of them still wearing collars having been stolen away from loving homes - are being brought to the city ahead of the festival on June 22.

 

 

 

Many animals die from shock, starvation and dehydration on the journey. The traumatised ones who do survive are beaten to death or their throats slit in street markets and illegal slaughterhouses, animal rights campaigners told MailOnline.

Humane Society International (HSI) launched an investigation after it suspected thousands of cats and dogs are still being inhumanely killed there in their thousands.

Despite assurances the festival had been banned, HSI's Peter Li discovered hundreds of newly- slaughtered dogs impaled on spikes and cats crammed so tightly into tiny wire cages 'they could not breathe'.

Some could barely stand in their squalid pens because they suffered broken bones and severe wounds from the horrendous journey.

He found that local slaughterhouse workers were instructed to only kill animals under the cover of darkness and restaurants were told to remove the words 'dog meat' from their menus in an attempt to cover up the festival's existence.

'Mass dog slaughter is still going on at Yulin despite the local authorities trying to give the impression that's it's ended' Mr Li told MailOnline.

'The Yulin government has declared the "festival" will not happen, but this is mere semantics and thousands of dogs will still die for their meat whether it's called a festival or not.'

He was alarmed at the dangerously unhygienic conditions in which the animals were being killed and described the smell at a slaughterhouse just outside Dongkou - where the 'end of slaughter process' takes place - as 'offensive'.

'The place was full of blood, internal organs of the dogs and cats, blow torched carcasses, and freshly slaughtered dogs hanging on hooks' Mr Li added.

'We saw two wire cages filled with cats waiting to be slaughtered the next day. They were suffering from long journeys, food deprivation, mental trauma, and illnesses. Some of them wore collars.'

It is legal to eat dogs in China and the country has no law protecting the welfare of pets but its Ministry of Agriculture has strict rules which require cats and dogs to have 'health certificates' before they are transported.

The mass-transport of animals over long distances increases the risk of rabies and threatens the health and safety of the people who eat them.

Guangxi province historically has the highest number of rabies death in China and Yulin - based in its south-west - recorded 338 deaths from rabies between 2002 and 2006 alone, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Mr Li was so overcome with sadness at the sight of the suffering animals in potentially-disease-ridden slaughterhouses that he rescued two dogs and two cats from the painful deaths that awaited them.

'It was heart breaking when I approached their filthy enclosure, they came up to me hopefully and one frantically followed my fingers with his nose,' he said.

'Like so many of the others, he [the dog] had probably been someone's household pet who was stolen away from his family for this meat trade.  Another small dog who was always close by this first dog was so quiet as if he was broken spirited, knowing what fate could befall him... Their faces were just so unforgettable.'

'Their eyes.... I knew I couldn't help all these poor animals, but I had to try to change the life of these two fellows.'

'I just told the slaughterhouse worker that I wanted to take these two dogs out of this place of misery, and he accepted... If I'd asked for them all I would have come away empty handed.'

Posing as a local merchant, investigator Mr Li was about to walk away with the rescued dogs when he noticed an emaciated cat clinging on to the side of its enclosure.

He added: 'She was in such a poor state. Filthy with wild, wide eyes... Her eyes were heart-wrenching, she was clearly terrified. And the pink collar still around her neck was proof that she used to have a loving home.

'She must have been utterly bewildered. She too had a companion who shadowed her, sticking close to each other for protection I guess.

'They're coming with me too,' he told the slaughterhouse worker, trying not to reveal his emotions in case he discovered why Li was really there.

The 'Yulin Four' are now recovering from their horrendous injuries and mental trauma at a shelter in China, but thousands of others will soon be cut up while still alive - and their meat sold at the markets in Yulin.

China's dog meat trade is neither limited to the summer solstice nor the Yulin markets, with as many as 20 million dogs being killed for consumption in the country every year.

But the Chinese public - particularly younger generations - has turned against the trade and many protests have been held in recent weeks which forced some slaughterhouses to close down their operations.

Peter added that Yulin's authorities are 'very nervous' and have issued warnings to meat sellers to be ready for the protesters from all over the world to descend on the city as the festival's date approaches.

But he claims the dog meat trade is on the decline and at this time of year - when the trade is at its busiest - he only saw two open stores in the infamous Dongkou Market, where seven stores were open last year.

He worryingly predicts many more stores may open nearer the summer solstice, as meat sellers and butchers descend on the city to make money.

Chinese legends say eating dog meat dispels evil ghosts and disease and can even boost men's sexual performance, according to the South China Morning Post.

The tradition is not unique to Yulin. Other cities in the Zhejiang, Guangxi, and Guangdong provinces - the booming industrial town of Dongguan among them - are also known to be avid consumers of dog meat.

MailOnline has contacted Yulin's local government for comment but they have yet to reply.
Readers can sign Humane Society International's petition calling on Chinese officials to end the Yulin dog festival HERE

(Daily Mail - June 1, 2015)

Despite video showing Colorado farmworkers abusing pigs, DA's office refuses to file charges

COLORADO -- A video showing workers at a Colorado pig farm hitting animals with cans and boards prompted the firing of seven employees, but authorities said Wednesday no criminal charges will be filed.

The undercover video also shows a farmworker worker killing a pig by shooting it in the head with a mechanical handgun-like device. The video narrator says such pigs are killed because they are sick, injured or stunted.

A member of the Los Angeles-based group Mercy for Animals filmed the video while working undercover at one of about a dozen Seaboard Foods farms in Colorado's northeastern corner. The group posted the footage online late Tuesday.

It previously turned over the video to the Phillips County Sheriff's Office, which launched an investigation and notified Merriam, Kansas-based Seaboard, which did its own probe.

 

District Attorney Brittny Lewton concluded there was no evidence the abuse warranted criminal charges.

"Although in the video submitted by 'Mercy for Animals,' it appears that one or two of the employees for Seaboard Farms is violating company policies and the best practices for livestock handling, the appropriate course of action is either training or termination, not criminal charges," Lewton said in letter to the sheriff's office.

 

Undercover video by Mercy for Animals also captured workers at a now-closed New Mexico dairy whipping, kicking and punching cows last year. Four men were charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty in that case last month.

Seaboard Farms has more than 300 pig farms in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Colorado. It has fired five workers and two supervisors following an internal investigation at the Colorado facility near the Nebraska border, spokesman David Eaheart said.

In a statement, the company said the abuse, which happened while the pigs were being loaded onto trucks, is "unacceptable and inexcusable" and violates its standards. It said all farm managers will be shown the video to send a message that such handling of animals is not acceptable.

 

Mercy for Animals' investigations director, Matt Rice, said the company's actions are "too little too late," and Seaboard should install livestream cameras to deter abuse.

The video also shows pigs crammed into concrete stalls and a worker snaring a pig and firing a captive bolt — used to stun animals before slaughter — into an its head in front of other animals.
Rice said the group doesn't claim those things are illegal but believes they are unethical.

Seaboard supplies pork to Walmart and other retailers. Mercy for Animals seized on the Walmart connection to try to pressure the retail giant to require its suppliers to adopt reforms, including ending the practice of keeping pregnant sows in crates.

 

Companies including Target and McDonald's have agreed to phase out the use of gestation crates by their suppliers. Colorado will outlaw them starting in 2018.

Walmart spokesman John Forrest Ales said the company requires its suppliers and producers to rely only on farms certified as following industry and government rules.

"We hold all our suppliers to high standards and do not tolerate the mistreatment of animals," he said.

(KMGH - May 6, 2015)

New Mexico: Chaves Co. dairy workers charged after undercover cow abuse video

NEW MEXICO -- Four dairy workers have been charged with animal cruelty in connection to an animal activist group's undercover video showing the abuse of cows  at Winchester Dairy in Chaves County last fall.

According to court documents, Cesar Morales-Iniguez and Stephen Toublefield are each facing three counts, Luis Urbie Lira is facing two counts and Jesus Espinoza is charged with one count of animal cruelty.

"Mercy for Animals," the group behind the video, says an undercover investigator filmed workers punching, kicking, whipping and even shocking cows' genitals. The group also filmed workers dragging cows with tractors.

Mercy for Animals said the Winchester Dairy cows were denied veterinary care.

The dairy fired all employees and identified the alleged offenders in the video to law enforcement, according to the Associated Press.

Winchester Dairy produces milk for Leprino Foods, the world's largest producer of mozzarella cheese and a supplier to major pizza chains like Pizza Hut and Domino's.

Last Monday, Leprino Foods announced a new animal welfare policy for its dairy suppliers.

By Dec. 31, 2016, all suppliers must keep a safe and sanitary environment, provide pain relief during disbudding/dehorning and give appropriate veterinary care to animals.

(KOB 4 Albuquerque - Apr 30, 2015)

Brevard horse owner, Zaid Suleiman Ali, plans to fight cruelty charges

FLORIDA -- The owner of a horse euthanized last month by Brevard County Animal Services says he plans to fight charges that he mistreated the four horses in his custody.

Zaid Suleiman Ali, 35, was charged with aggravated animal cruelty and killing or aggravated abuse of a horse in connection with several anonymous calls about the animals on his five-acre property at 3830 Dairy Rd., a property that runs up to the heavily-traveled roadway.

 

He was arrested Monday and released from the Brevard County Jail Complex on a $21,000 bond.

"This is all an exaggeration. My property is extremely visible. People have been calling over the past ten years about the horses having no shade when there are stalls in the back," said Ali, who owned four horses and who would occasionally have sheep on the small pasture.

He also believes that he may have been targeted by the callers because of his Islamic faith and his previous advertisements for ritual slaughter of animals like sheep associated with the worldwide faith.

Brevard County Animal Services and sheriff's deputies were at the property on Feb. 7 after callers reported seeing horses in poor condition wandering the grounds.

"They were anonymous and reported animal neglect, mostly passers-by that were worried about the animal," said Cpl. David Jacobs, spokesman for the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Jacobs said the issue has to do with the horses and has nothing to do with Ali's faith.

I like how he tries to turn this into an anti-Muslim thing. Feed your horse, idiot, regardless of whether you're a Muslim, Christian, Jew or atheist.

Ali was ordered to comply with veterinary recommendations regarding feed and other conditions.
Investigators said, however, that the horse's medical condition was too severely diminished and that the animal had to be euthanized.

Ali disagreed.

"There are so many points, the sheriff's office said that they had no water but I have automatic water in each stall. They came in and killed my horse. Sammy was 27 years old, that's 80 or 140 human years, depending on who you talk to. This was a very old horse and lived through many things, like being lame. I treated them day in and day out," Ali said, adding that he cried as he and his family members asked authorities not to put the animal down.

"Then they said in one of their reports that I had no remorse. I have two dogs and they are fine. You just can't say there was no water when there was water available to them and no food when there is grass," Ali said.

There were three other horses that animal enforcement officers said were not being cared for to standard. They have been rehabilitated back to health and may be placed up for adoption in other homes.

A court date has not yet been set.

(Florida Today - ‎Mar 4, 2015‎)

Washington: Judge calls Olympia animal cruelty case against David Williford 'truly disturbing'

WASHINGTON -- A Thurston County deputy prosecutor says what was found at an Olympia man's home is the worst case of animal abuse she's ever seen.

David Christopher Williford was charged Monday afternoon with 12 counts of animal cruelty for holding dozens of rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and dogs in "horrific" conditions.

Deputy Prosecutor Christen Anton Peters described it in court like a scene from a horror movie, complete with blood spatters, filth and carcasses strewn about Williford's basement and backyard.

Authorities rescued dozens more animals still alive but described as desperate for food and water.

Williford's defense attorney says it was simply an unsanitary slaughterhouse for meat that Williford intended to eat, and has eaten routinely.

He allegedly got the animals using Craigslist.

Williford is charged with six counts of first degree animal abuse and six of second degree animal abuse.

At his house just outside of Olympia on Cooper Pointe Road, court records say he kept several dogs upstairs in the attic in cages with absolutely no light, no water, no food, and no warm bedding. When they were rescued, court records say they jumped into the arms of animal control officers.

Peters pulled no punches before a judge in arguing that Williford should continue to be held in custody.

 "I've seen many cases of animal cruelty in my career as a prosecutor. This is clearly the most disturbing case that I have ever reviewed," she said.

The director of Thurston County Animal Control is warning people who give away free animals on Craigslist to be careful who gets the animals and to make follow up calls.

Susanne Beauregard says they first got wind of the case when someone came to stay with Williford. When that person threatened to report the abuse to authorities, he says Williford then threatened him. The witness says he fears for his life but reported him anyway.

Peters said her office had extreme concern about the prospect of releasing Williford. But Williford's defense attorney downplayed it.

"It appears to be more slaughtering for food purposes in unsanitary conditions," the attorney said.

 Judge Erik Price ordered him held in jail on $150,000 bail.

"The allegations at this point are truly disturbing," Price said.

(KOMO News - Feb 23, 2015)

Detroit Islamic slaughterhouse threatened with closure amid animal cruelty violations

MICHIGAN -- An Eastern Market slaughterhouse that has been illegally dumping rotting lamb carcasses inside a dumpster along Gratiot was shut down twice last year for animal cruelty and threatened with permanent closure in September.

A review of USDA inspection reports shows that Berry and Sons Islamic Slaughter House has a long history of problems that range from the “inhumane treatment of animals” to questionable purchasing decisions.

 

 

 

USDA inspectors temporarily halted operations at the Halal slaughterhouse in June and September following separate “egregious violations,” inspection reports show.

In June, an inspector spotted an employee grabbing a small lamb by the neck and tossing it “airborne until it landed on its side in the truck bed, staggered, and then stood.”

Just one week after the cruelty case was closed in September, an inspector observed the mishandling of two disabled sheep, at least one of which had been trampled by some of the other animals.
According to the inspector, one of the sheep was so badly injured that employees thought it was dead. But after realizing the sheep was still breathing, employees tried to carry the animal “holding onto it only by the wool.”

“It has been determined that you have not designed, developed, and implemented a robust systematic approach for the humane handling of animals at your establishment and do not have a recent history of regulatory compliance,” the USDA wrote in a sharply worded letter. “Further, FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) has provided you with numerous opportunities to implement effective corrective and preventive actions to ensure compliance with Agency statutory and regulatory requirements, but these measures have proved inadequate.

"This indicates that your establishment may be unwilling or unable to execute the humane handling and slaughter of livestock procedures in a manner that ensures all animals received for slaughter at your establishment are handled humanely.”

The USDA said it was considering whether to permanently suspend operations at the slaughterhouse, which does big business and has been operating at the Eastern Market since 1973. USDA records indicate that Berry and Sons Islamic Slaughter House spends up to $2 million on nearly 20,000 animals to butcher a year.

Berry and Sons also has four butcher shops in metro Detroit.  The slaughterhouse is at 2496 Orleans St. at the Eastern Market.

On Sunday, we published photos of rotting lamb carcasses in a dumpster plainly visible by motorists on Gratiot. The stench was so strong that it could be smelled blocks away.

The story has prompted a state investigation. The Bodies of Dead Animals Act of 1982 requires carcasses to be burned, buried or passed off to a licensed processor within 24 hours of being slaughtered.

(Motor City Muckraker - Feb 10, 2015)

Eaton man pleads guilty to abusing dairy calves

COLORADO -- The second of three men who face charges of abusing dairy calves at a Weld County livestock operation on Friday pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals.

The Weld District Attorney’s Office in November charged Ernesto Daniel Valenzuela-Alvarez, 34, as well as Tomas Cerda 33, and Larry Loma, 32, with misdemeanor animal abuse after a video surfaced that apparently showed them kicking, dragging and throwing young calves while working at Quanah Cattle Co. near Kersey.

The Quanah Cattle Co. facility is located near Kersey, 55 miles northeast of Denver.

 

Weld County Sheriff John Cooke previously expressed “shock” when he saw the video and said the behavior was “totally unacceptable,” adding that in 20 years on a dairy farm earlier in his life he never saw animals handled that way.

Valenzuela-Alvarez of Eaton pleaded guilty on Friday — nearly a month after requesting additional time to consult with an attorney.

Cerda, who pleaded guilty in January, was scheduled for sentencing Feb. 21, but a clerical error forced that to be postponed.

Both Cerda and Valenzuela-Alvarez are due for sentencing on April 29.

Loma is scheduled to appear for a status update on his case April 3.

(Greeley Tribune - Mar 2, 2014)

Earlier:

• Three ugly slugs who abused baby cows charged with animal cruelty
• 1 Of 3 Charged In Calf Abuse Case Pleads Guilty

1 Of 3 Charged In Calf Abuse Case Pleads Guilty

COLORADO -- One of three men charged with abusing cattle in Northern Colorado has pleaded guilty. That abuse was caught on undercover video.

The three suspects in the case are Larry Loma, Tomas Cerda and Ernesto Daniel Valenzuela-Alvarez.

Tuesday morning, Cerda pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

The Quanah Cattle Co. facility is located near Kersey, 55 miles northeast of Denver.

Last fall an investigation at the facility began after the animal rights group Compassion Over Killing released undercover video of the calves being kicked, dragged, thrown and lifted by their tails.

The operation purchases Holstein calves from local dairies, raises the steers until they reach about 300 pounds and sells them to feed yards. Heifers are sold back to dairies when they reach the right age.

Valenzuela-Alvarez used a translator in court to ask the judge for more time to hire an attorney.

He told CBS4 he had nothing to say about the animal cruelty charges.

Loma has hired an attorney and is scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial conference next month.

(CBS Denver - Jan 21, 2014)

Earlier:

• Three ugly slugs who abused baby cows charged with animal cruelty
• Illegal 'ag gag' in effect in Colorado as woman who shot undercover footage of abused calves is hit with cruelty charges

Illegal 'ag gag' in effect in Colorado as woman who shot undercover footage of abused calves is hit with cruelty charges

COLORADO -- An investigation into a cattle company near Kersey has led to several people being cited for animal abuse, including the animal activist who turned video footage of the alleged abuse over to authorities.

Taylor Radig, who has been associated with animal rights organization Compassion Over Killing, worked as a temporary employee at Quanah Cattle Co. near Kersey from mid-July to September 2013.

During that time, Radig filmed hours of alleged cattle abuse at the company and turned her videos into the Weld County Sheriff’s Office two months after she stopped working there, according to a WCSO news release.

When talking to investigators, Radig referred to herself as a “contractor” for the nonprofit animal advocacy organization, which is based in Washington, D.C.

By not reporting the alleged abuse in a timely manner, Radig was seen as negligent and cited for animal cruelty, a Class 1 misdemeanor. She’s also believed to have participated in the cattle abuse incidents reported to the sheriff’s office, the news release said.

Three suspects from Quanah Cattle Co. have also been contacted, interviewed and issued summons for animal cruelty charges.

In a post on Compassion Over Killing’s website, the organization says an “undercover investigator” associated with Compassion Over Killing “worked inside” Quanah Cattle Company, producing footage of calves being “violently dragged by their legs, pulled by their ears, lifted by their tails, kicked, thrown, slammed, and flipped” while being moved off trucks.

In a response to the animal abuse charge against Radig, Erica Meier, the executive director of Compassion Over Killing, called the action against Radig “unsupported by the law,” and a “shoot-the-messenger strategy aimed at detracting attention away from the crimes of those who actually abused animals.”

“The Weld County Sheriff’s Office has chosen to retaliate against the individual who witnessed, documented and reported the callous mistreatment of newborn calves,” Meier said in an email.

“Merely witnessing others abusing animals is not a crime, and our investigator (Radig) was working cooperatively with local authorities on this case prior to this baseless accusation.”

The facility is owned by J.D. Heiskell & Co. of Tulare, Calif. J.D. Heiskell’s board chairman, Scot Hillman, said in a written statement the company was dismayed by the video and is cooperating with authorities.
“Both J.D. Heiskell and Quanah expect the proper and humane treatment of animals handled at the Quanah facility. We are in the process of investigating to determine the facts of this situation,” the statement said. The company plans to improve training and supervision, according to its statement.
Kersey is east of Greeley in Weld County.

(The Coloradoan - Nov 22, 2013)

Earlier:

• Three ugly slugs who abused baby cows charged with animal cruelty